Deleting Otter.ai from Microsoft Teams can be a multi-step process, especially if you want to ensure it's completely gone and doesn't interfere with your meetings anymore. It involves disconnecting its access from your Otter.ai account, removing the app from Teams, and for IT administrators, potentially blocking it at the organizational level. Let's dive into a comprehensive guide to help you achieve this.
Why Remove Otter.ai from Teams?
While Otter.ai is a fantastic tool for transcribing meetings, there might be several reasons you'd want to remove its integration with Microsoft Teams:
Privacy Concerns: You might not want an AI constantly listening in on all your meetings.
Security Policies: Your organization might have strict policies against third-party applications accessing meeting data.
Performance Issues: Sometimes, third-party integrations can cause minor performance hiccups in Teams.
Switching Tools: You might be moving to a different transcription service that better suits your needs.
Unwanted Auto-Joining: OtterPilot might be automatically joining meetings you don't want it to.
Whatever your reason, this guide will walk you through the necessary steps.
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| How To Delete Otter Ai From Teams |
The Comprehensive Guide: How to Delete Otter.ai from Microsoft Teams
This guide is structured to help both individual users and IT administrators. Individual users can follow the first few steps, while administrators will find additional, more technical steps for organizational control.
Step 1: Engage with Your Otter.ai Account Settings (Crucial First Step!)
Are you ready to cut ties? Before we touch Microsoft Teams, the first and most important step is to manage Otter.ai's access from its own platform. This is where Otter.ai typically pulls calendar information to auto-join meetings.
Sub-heading: Disabling OtterPilot's Auto-Join Feature
Sign in to Otter.ai: Open your web browser and go to
https://otter.aiand sign in to your account.Access Account Settings:
Look for your profile icon or avatar (usually in the top left or bottom left corner).
Click on it, and from the dropdown menu, select "Account Settings".
Navigate to Meeting Settings:
Within Account Settings, you'll see various tabs. Look for the "Meetings" tab and click on it.
Turn Off Auto-Join:
Scroll down to the section labeled "OtterPilot" or "Notetaker."
You should see an option like "Auto-join all meetings" or "Automatically add Otter Notetaker to your meetings." Toggle this option OFF.
Confirm the action if a pop-up appears (e.g., "Yes, turn them off").
Sub-heading: Disconnecting Your Calendar
Otter.ai often connects to your calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar) to identify and join meetings. Disconnecting this link is a vital step.
Return to Account Settings: If you've navigated away, go back to your Otter.ai Account Settings.
Go to the Apps Tab:
Find and click on the "Apps" or "Integrations" tab.
Locate Calendar Integration:
Scroll down to the section that lists your connected calendars and contacts.
You should see your Microsoft (Outlook) calendar listed here.
Disconnect the Calendar:
Next to your connected calendar, click on the "Disconnect" button.
Confirm the disconnection if prompted.
Important Note: If you have Otter.ai installed as a browser extension, it's also a good idea to remove it from your browser's extensions list at this point to prevent any lingering connections.
QuickTip: Pay close attention to transitions.
Step 2: Removing Otter.ai from a Live Microsoft Teams Meeting
If OtterPilot is currently active in a meeting, you can remove it on the fly. This step is for immediate removal from an ongoing session.
Sub-heading: Removing OtterPilot via Microsoft Teams Meeting Controls
Are you the meeting organizer or a presenter? You'll have the necessary permissions for this.
Open the Participants Pane:
During the live meeting in Microsoft Teams, click on the "People" icon (usually looks like two silhouettes) to open the participants pane.
Locate OtterPilot:
In the list of participants, find "OtterPilot" or "Otter.ai Notetaker."
Remove the Participant:
Hover over OtterPilot's name.
Click on the "More options" (three dots
...) menu next to its name.Select "Remove participant".
Confirm the removal if a prompt appears.
Sub-heading: Removing OtterPilot via Otter.ai's Interface (Alternative)
You can also stop a live recording from within the Otter.ai application or website.
On the Otter.ai Home Page Calendar:
Navigate to the calendar section on the right side of your Otter.ai homepage.
Locate the current live OtterPilot recording.
Click the "Stop recording" button.
Click "Yes, turn it off" to confirm.
Via Conversation Controls:
Go to "My Conversations" in your Otter.ai account.
Select the conversation that is currently being recorded by OtterPilot.
Click "Stop Notetaker" in the control playback bar.
Click "Yes, turn it off" to confirm.
Step 3: Uninstalling the Otter.ai App from Microsoft Teams
This step removes the Otter.ai application directly from your Teams environment, preventing it from appearing in your app list or being easily added back.
Sub-heading: For Individual Users
Open Microsoft Teams: Launch the Microsoft Teams desktop application or go to the web version.
Go to Apps:
On the left-hand sidebar of Teams, click on "Apps".
Find and Manage Otter.ai:
In the "Apps" section, you might see "Your apps" or "Installed apps." Search for "Otter.ai" in the search bar or scroll through the list.
Uninstall the App:
Once you find Otter.ai, click on the "More options" (three dots
...) icon next to its name.Select "Uninstall" or "Remove".
Confirm the uninstallation when prompted.
Sub-heading: For Teams Administrators (Organizational Control)
QuickTip: Look for patterns as you read.
If you are a Microsoft Teams administrator, you have more granular control over which apps are available and can be installed by users in your organization. This is crucial for preventing future unwanted installations.
Access Teams Admin Center:
Go to
https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/and sign in with your administrator credentials.
Navigate to Teams Apps:
In the left-hand navigation pane, expand "Teams apps".
Click on "Manage apps".
Locate Otter.ai:
Use the search bar to find "Otter.ai".
Block the App:
Select the Otter.ai app.
At the top of the details pane, you should see an option to "Block" or "Allow." Ensure it is set to "Blocked". This prevents users from adding or using the app.
Review Permission Policies (Optional but Recommended):
Go to "Teams apps" > "Permission policies".
You can create or modify an app permission policy to control which apps are allowed or blocked for different users or groups in your organization. Ensure that Otter.ai is explicitly blocked in the relevant policies.
Consider disabling the option for users to add new apps if your organization has a strict app policy.
Review Global App Setup Policy:
Go to "Teams apps" > "Setup policies".
Ensure that the global policy (or any specific policy assigned to users) does not inadvertently allow Otter.ai. You can also use setup policies to pin or unpin apps for users.
Step 4: Revoking OAuth App Permissions (Advanced - For IT Admins)
This step addresses the underlying permissions that Otter.ai might have been granted to your Microsoft 365 environment, especially if it was connected via OAuth (Open Authorization). This is a critical step for complete removal and preventing data access.
Access Microsoft 365 Admin Center or Entra ID (Azure AD):
Go to
https://admin.microsoft.com/orhttps://entra.microsoft.com/(for Entra ID, formerly Azure Active Directory).Sign in with your global administrator credentials.
Navigate to Enterprise Applications:
In Entra ID, go to "Identity" > "Applications" > "Enterprise applications".
Search for Otter.ai:
Use the search bar to find "Otter.ai" or "Otter Voice Meeting Notes."
Disable Sign-in and Delete:
Click on the Otter.ai application.
Go to "Properties".
Toggle "Enabled for users to sign-in?" to "No". This will prevent any further user sign-ins through this application.
Optionally, and with caution: You can also choose to delete the application registration from here if you are certain no one in your organization should ever use it again. This is a more permanent step.
Review User Permissions:
Within the Otter.ai enterprise application, go to "Users and groups".
Remove any users or groups that have been assigned access to this application.
Step 5: Consider Meeting Policy Adjustments (For IT Admins)
To further safeguard against unwanted bots joining meetings, especially if Otter.ai or similar services attempt to join as anonymous users, IT admins can adjust Teams meeting policies.
Access Teams Admin Center:
https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/Navigate to Meeting Policies:
In the left-hand navigation pane, expand "Meetings" > "Meeting policies".
Modify Policies:
Edit your organization's default meeting policy or create a new one.
Allow anonymous users to join meetings: Consider setting this to "Off" if your security posture requires it. This will prevent any anonymous participants, including bots, from joining meetings without explicit admission.
Automatically admit people: Set this to "Only organizers and co-organizers" or "People in my organization" to force external participants (including bots) into the lobby, allowing hosts to manually admit them. This provides an additional layer of control.
Step 6: Clear Cache (Optional, but can resolve lingering issues)
Sometimes, cached data can cause applications to behave unexpectedly. Clearing the Teams cache might help ensure all changes take effect.
Sub-heading: Clearing Teams Desktop App Cache
Close Teams Completely: Ensure Microsoft Teams is fully closed. Right-click the Teams icon in your system tray and select "Quit" or "Close."
Navigate to Cache Folder:
Press
Windows Key + Rto open the Run dialog.Type
%appdata%\Microsoft\Teamsand press Enter.
Delete Cache Contents:
Delete all files and folders within the
Teamsdirectory. Do not delete theTeamsfolder itself, only its contents.
Restart Teams: Launch Microsoft Teams again.
By following these steps, you should be able to effectively remove Otter.ai from your Microsoft Teams environment, whether you're an individual user or an IT administrator managing an entire organization.
10 Related FAQ Questions
QuickTip: Read again with fresh eyes.
How to Stop OtterPilot from automatically joining my meetings?
Answer: Sign in to Otter.ai, go to Account Settings > Meetings, and toggle off "Auto-join all meetings" under the OtterPilot section.
How to Remove Otter.ai from a live Microsoft Teams meeting?
Answer: As the meeting organizer or presenter, open the participants pane in Teams, find "OtterPilot" in the list, click the three dots (...) next to its name, and select "Remove participant."
How to Uninstall the Otter.ai app from my Microsoft Teams client?
Answer: In Microsoft Teams, go to the "Apps" section on the left sidebar, search for "Otter.ai," click the three dots (...) next to it, and select "Uninstall."
How to Disconnect my calendar from Otter.ai?
Answer: Log in to your Otter.ai account, navigate to Account Settings > Apps, locate your connected calendar (e.g., Microsoft Calendar), and click the "Disconnect" button next to it.
How to Prevent Otter.ai from being installed by other users in my organization?
Answer: As a Teams administrator, go to the Teams Admin Center (admin.teams.microsoft.com), navigate to "Teams apps" > "Manage apps," find "Otter.ai," and set its status to "Blocked."
Tip: Take mental snapshots of important details.
How to Revoke Otter.ai's permissions in my Microsoft 365 environment?
Answer: As a Microsoft 365 administrator, go to Entra ID (Azure AD) > "Enterprise applications," search for "Otter.ai," click on it, go to "Properties," and set "Enabled for users to sign-in?" to "No." You can also remove assigned users.
How to Ensure no bots, including Otter.ai, can join my Teams meetings without explicit permission?
Answer: In the Teams Admin Center, go to "Meetings" > "Meeting policies." In your relevant policy, set "Allow anonymous users to join meetings" to "Off," and "Automatically admit people" to options like "Only organizers and co-organizers" or "People in my organization."
How to Clear the Microsoft Teams cache after removing Otter.ai?
Answer: Close Teams completely, then open Run (Windows Key + R), type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams, press Enter, and delete all contents within that folder (but not the folder itself). Then restart Teams.
How to Completely delete my Otter.ai account?
Answer: To permanently delete your Otter.ai account, you typically need to sign in to Otter.ai, go to Account Settings > General, and look for a "Delete account" option at the bottom. Be aware that this is a permanent action and usually requires you to confirm your password. Ensure you've canceled any active subscriptions first.
How to Check if Otter.ai is still connected to any other services?
Answer: Regularly review the "Apps" or "Integrations" section within your Otter.ai account settings to see if it's connected to any other calendar services or third-party applications you might be using. Also, check your personal app permissions in your Microsoft 365 account settings.
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